This invention relates to dentistry, more particularly, it relates to a device for sharpening dental instruments such as curettes.
Dentists and dental hygienists utilize various types of hand-held instruments for examination, cleaning, and for performing dental work on patient's teeth. Such instruments include curettes, universals, scalers, and explorers. All of these dental instruments have an elongate shaft with workpieces extending out of the ends or collars of said shafts. The scalers and explorers have a sharp pointed tip on the workpiece. The curettes and universals have a rounded and flat tip, at least one sharpened cutting edge adjacent to the tip, and a widthwise curvature on a bottom surface. The tips and cutting edges on such instruments become dull with use and require periodic shaping and sharpening. In that the work-tips are extremely small, the proper shaping and sharpening of said work-tips is an extremely delicate and difficult task. The cutting edge on curettes or universals is formed by the junction between a substantially flat lateral side and a curved top face. The lateral side may be conveniently shaped with a planar surface, however, the curved top surface is much more difficult to shape and sharpen. Previously, general purpose sharpening stones have been utilized. Such stones are typically rectangular and do not have the appropriate combination of concave and convex curvatures for sharpening the curettes or universals with maximum efficiency and expediency. Additionally, the prior art was typically comprised of conventional sharpening stones which require oil or water for use.
No known prior art devices exist which are wedge-shaped with a concave groove for shaping the widthwise curvature of the toe of the curettes and a convex surface sized for shaping the face of curettes.
None of the prior art shows a groove specifically designed and sized for receiving and sharpening the toe of dental curettes.